Three Bags Full is donating an Owl Bag for this week's giveaway. Has anyone noticed that each week the prize gets bigger? Isn't it adorable? Thank you, Michele! Leave a comment by noon on Thursday May 12th to enter the drawing.

We have a winner!

The winner of the Pink Daffodil Bag from Episode 42 is PJM, who is Paula, or pjpurls on Ravelry. Congratulations! Please contact me to claim your bag from Three Bags Full.

Nature Notes

Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you. ~~John Muir﻿

Nancy and Susan joined me on the deck for an afternoon of armchair birding. Rosebreasted Grosbeaks are migrating though. The males are flashy and the females look like overgrown sparrows. We also saw the Wood Thrush. Both the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Wood Thrush have beautiful songs.

A fox caught a squirrel for his breakfast. The squirrels were getting complacent about the foxes.

John Muir books are available on Librivox, a free audio source. The following John Muir works are currently available for FREE!

An Adventure with a Dog and a Glacier (in "Short Nonfiction Collection Vol. 021")

The Mountains of California

My First Summer in the Sierra

Steep Trails

Stickeen

The Story of My Boyhood and Youth

Travels in Alaska

The Yosemite

Needle Notes

I finished several projects to get the deck cleared for the Estelle KAL on May 1.

Eye of Partidge Heel Socks

Other than the Eye of Partridge Heel there is nothing too special about this pair. On the second sock I took Anna Lena's advice and used the slip stitch pattern that is often used on the heel to reinforce the bottom of the sole. With one sock reinforced in this way and one not, this will be an experiment of one.

I am still loving Charlene Schurch's technique for eliminating the pig's eye (hole) where the heel flap and the gusset join. (See Episode 34, March 4, 2011)

I decided to not match the pattern on this yarn but it matched itself!

Miss Bab's Fingering weight was the main colorway in blues and browns. I used the rest of Forever in Blue Jeans (The Woolen Rabbit, Pandora) for the blue stripe and Barnacle (Quince & Co Tern) for the bottom border. I saved enough of the Miss Bab's to do one row of knitting and the BO row which I think made it all work. I love the crescent shape of the shawl and the three dimensional textured lace.

I forgot to say that I intended to make a smaller size but wasn't paying attention and passed up the stitch count so went on to make a large. If I had stuck with a medium size I might have had enough of the Miss Bab's. I am happy with the result.

I used The Russian Bind Off for a nice flexible (and tidy) edge.

The Blethering Room

Happy Estelle Day! Charr chimed in on May 1st with this greeting and I loved it.

The recommended yarn is Lark by Quince & Co. I chose Glacier, an icy blue.

Raglan increase detail.

Several of us seem to be having trouble with gauge. I checked my gauge when I was about 4 inches into the yoke and it was off, actually tighter than it should be. The fabric seemed a little too dense. I shifted to a size larger needle and may go up one needle size. I think we have people knitting with everything from a 3 to an 8, which goes to show how individual we all are as knitters.

If you like the Lark at a looser gauge than what is recommended, then you have some options. You could knit a smaller size or you could change the stitch count. If you change the stitch count for this or other projects you might want to try Ann Budd's nifty My Favorite Formula on her blog, AnnBuddKnits.

Charr and I are going to Sock Summit! We are also going to Stitches Midwest.

78 comments:

Paula, I love your Sugar is Sweet Shawl. The yarn combination is stunning. Michele is so generous to donate another bag! I am envious of all your upcoming fibery adventures. I'm still debating if I'm going to drive over for a day of SMW. Didn't really see any classes I wanted but would love to hear Jean Frost's talk. I took a class from her last year. Last night I signed up for 3 classes at Knitter's Connection in Columbus, OH June 14 - 15. I'm going to take JC Briars class on her new book "Charts Made Simple". I am also going to take Looking Glass Knitting (knitting backwards) with Amy Detjan and a class on increases & decreases with Jill Bigelow Suttell.

Paula, I so enjoy your sense of humor, first of all. You get tickled at yourself and it's a beautiful reminder for all of us to do the same. And next, your podcast is so giving to your listeners. You're not focused on yourself but on what you can offer others, what others can learn from your experiences. You have a beautiful podcast.

I found your info on invasives so interesting. I've only lived in FL for a few months and they're very big on removing invasives in my local area. The state park has monthly volunteer days for people to help pull up invasive plants. As for invasive creatures, we have the lionfish and the curly tail lizard. There's a lot of lionfish awareness education going on and I find it all so interesting. When there are no natural predators, it really shakes up the ecosystem!

I am glad I will have a chance to find you at Sock Summit. What classes will you be part of?

Could you address a little how you prepare for an event like Sock Summit where there will be many people and a great marketplace? What will you bring, what will you do, what will your notions bag contain, and how will you keep up your energy in such a enthusiastic crowd?

Paula, I had the exact same problem signing up for classes at Sock Summit. I wanted 3 classes and only got one and I am so incredibly disappointed. I'm wondering if it is even worth going. On a lighter note, the owl baig is very cute, hope I win it :-)

Paula, I had the exact same problem signing up for classes at Sock Summit. I wanted 3 classes and only got one and I am so incredibly disappointed. I'm wondering if it is even worth going. On a lighter note, the owl baig is very cute, hope I win it :-)

Yet another delightful podcast and wonderful prize! I just love listening to the nature notes and your shawl turned out lovely. I have added the book to my cart on Ravelry because of your review. When I went to look at the shawls I just loved them all. They are just as you said--simple yet romantic! I have been on a small shawl kick lately so I'm sure it will end up in my library before too long!

I enjoyed the podcast, as usual! That owl bag is adorable...a friend of mine sewed my daughter a pair of jammies from that very same owl fabric--it's so cute! Thanks for the chance to win.Sarahsmurphy2 on ravelry

Paula, It was good to hear your voice on my morning commute today. I was so sad to hear of your loss.

On a more cheerful note, I wanted to tell you that I was fortunate enough to take 2 classes on Friday with Charlene Schurch at the MD Sheep & Wool Festival. It was fun to meet her. She taught different heel methods and another class on durability issues. Both very timely, I thought.

Paula, I am so sorry to hear about your Dad.Thanks for another great podcast and the chance to win another wonderful bag. I am also taken with the Be Sweet shawls and think I will have to knit the Sugared Violets shawl.

Your shawl is beautiful! I love the brown/blue combination, too. Please enter me in the bag drawing. I just got my first order from her and the bags are very well made. Hope to see you at Stitches. Abby and Ben talked about the last Sock Summit in ther last podcast. They didn't get in hardly any classes but still thought it was amazing. Sadly I can't go this time. Val (love2knit)

I adore the shawl! Thank you so much for the wonderful podcast. You are such a trooper and such a great role model, honestly. I was so touched to hear your comments about how kind words really do help. It's so true, but why is it sometimes so difficult to be honest and admit it? Kind words do make it easier to bear life's difficulties.

What a disappointment about Sock Summit. Do let the organizers know what happened so they can address the issue. Have you been watching the Eagle cam in Decorah, Iowa? It's absolutely fascinating.By the way, I've been loving the music you play at the end of the podcast. It reminds me of my Dad who loved Scottish music. I grew up listening to Kenneth McKellar sing traditional songs - rather overproduced but what a beautiful voice. I downloaded some from ITunes as a remembrance.

Another wonderful podcast. Thanks very much for your hard work in producing such quality shows. Glad you and Charr will be going to Sock Summit. Portland is on my list of places to visit. You will need to check out Powell's Bookstore.

Paula, thanks for another very enjoyable podcast! Your yarn combination for the Sugar is Sweet shawl worked out very well, and looks planned. I have also enjoyed the selections from "Quieting" at the end of your podcasts - beautiful and serene. Very fitting. The owl bag is so cute!

So appreciate your podcasts! I have been aroused to take note of nature since listening to you. I have joined enature.com and am identifying birds in my area, listening to their calls via enature.com and listening and looking for them as I walk each morning. Also have seen many in my backyard. It has been wonderful to begin observe the nature around me with open eyes. Thank you, Paula.

Paula, I'm so sorry to hear about your father. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. On a lighter note, I loved hearing Meghan say she followed you around Camp KIP like a fan girl!Lisa (ColoradoKid on Rav)

Dear Paula,Thanks so much for giving us a heads up on your lovely contest! I hope to catch up soon but I am enjoying each episode in order. I love the blue in the shael you just finished! It's beautiful!Happy knitting (and piping),Amber (knitfriendly)

Paula, I was transplanted to Maine from Rock Island, IL 7 years ago. Like you I love fiber, nature and John Muir! I have rose breasted grosbeaks and a scarlet tanager on my feeder every day! I live near Michele and I am hoping to win the owl bag!Gina Murphy-kniteverywhere on Ravelry